State attorneys general want to use Medicaid fraud funds to probe elder abuse

Attorneys general from around that nation have asked the Trump administration to allow them to use federal funds meant for their Medicaid fraud units to combat elder abuse.On Wednesday, 38 state attorneys general sent a letter to HHS Secretary Tom Price asking for permission to use federal funds now received for Medicaid Fraud Control Units to investigate cases of abuse and neglect, rather than just fraud cases.There are currently 6.4 million Medicaid beneficiaries that are dually eligible for Medicare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 10 people age 65 and older who live at home will become a victim of abuse, according to the letter.